


Permanent Script

by AssassinOfRome



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad tattoo health, But Neil is inherently angsty, Charlie and Neil being drunk and dumb, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jewish Todd, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Multi, Slice of Life, Tattoos, The Semi Colon Project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 06:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12743064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssassinOfRome/pseuds/AssassinOfRome
Summary: “I don’t think this one should drink anymore.” Charlie said sombrely, easing Neil safely onto the sofa next to Todd, before perching wobblily onto the arm rest. Now they were closer, Todd could smell the almost fuel-like fumes of liquor rolling off them, scenting their clothes and rapid, puffing breaths. Todd wondered how far they’d walked; cabs were few and far between in their part of town, but it was a Saturday, and still fairly early, so it shouldn’t have been that unlikely. “He’s already done enough stupid things tonight.”“Stupi-what did you guys do?” Todd’s eyes widened and he sat up, almost spilling his coffee in surprise. They’d only been gone four hours! What misadventures could be crafted in less than a quarter of a day? Neil didn’t seem to share his concern, and was in fact lightly sniggering, leaning back into the sofa cushions and lolling his head back. Todd thought he saw a wince flash across his face, and he cupped a hand to his ribs almost protectively.Neil acts impulsively when drunk, Todd worries about his boys, and Charlie's just happy to be here.





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Only when Charlie physically had to drag Neil home from a night out did Todd suspect something to be wrong.

The pair had been out on the town, and though Todd knew they both enjoyed the giddy forbidden feeling of one too many shots, they were both sensible enough to not get entirely paralytic on a cold winter’s night, when the icy roads were more uneven than ever. It was the winter chill in the air that had stopped Todd joining them, in fact; his nose was already running, chest aching with every rough cough, and he just knew that he must have caught something from one of his students. So instead of a night of drunken debauchery that they were, at nearly thirty, perhaps getting a little too old for, he elected to stay snuggled up at home, where there was coffee, and blankets, and a new Shakespeare documentary on BBC YouTube that he could absorb himself in without Neil chatting all the way through. Don’t get him wrong; he loved Neil’s smart mouth, but babbling through the Bard was where Todd drew the line.

So he was understandably a tad shocked when his peaceful evening was interrupted by drunken giggling, and his two favourite boys flopping, rather forcefully into the flat, disturbing a pile of carefully organised, yet completely ignored, junk mail.

“Toooooooddd!” Neil crooned, from his position wrapped rather cautiously around Charlie’s side. “T to the dodd! Toddington! My Toddy-Woddykins!” The petnames were so ridiculous that Todd was caught between fondly giggling and frowning in confusion. Charlie, on the other hand, looked ready to vomit, though whether that was from the alcohol or the saccharine sweetness of Neil’s affection was anyone’s guess. “We had the most wonderful night!”

“It’s only eleven thirty.” Todd raised an eyebrow as the three of them glanced suspiciously at the clock, which announced the half hour with a gleeful tinkling. “I thought you’d be out longer.”

“I don’t think this one should drink anymore.” Charlie said sombrely, easing Neil safely onto the sofa next to Todd, before perching wobblily onto the arm rest. Now they were closer, Todd could smell the almost fuel-like fumes of liquor rolling off them, scenting their clothes and rapid, puffing breaths. Todd wondered how far they’d walked; cabs were few and far between in their part of town, but it was a Saturday, and still fairly early, so it shouldn’t have been that unlikely. “He’s already done enough stupid things tonight.”

“Stupi-what did you guys do?” Todd’s eyes widened and he sat up, almost spilling his coffee in surprise. They’d only been gone four hours! What misadventures could be crafted in less than a quarter of a day? Neil didn’t seem to share his concern, and was in fact lightly sniggering, leaning back into the sofa cushions and lolling his head back. Todd thought he saw a wince flash across his face, and he cupped a hand to his ribs almost protectively.

“Something I’ve been m-m-meaning to do for aaaaaaaggggggeeees.” He hiccuped at the end of his sentence, and though Todd would usually find that unfairly endearing, it did little to quash the rising tide of concern that is threatening to overwhelm his brain. Now that the boys were quieter, he could see they were sweating quite badly, faces ashy white with pain. Charlie was also holding his chest, but his fingers were prodding against his sternum, and for a terrifying second he wondered if they were both having simultaneous heart attacks. He tried in vain to think back to his first aid training when Charlie burst out laughing and nudged Neil in his unaffected ribs.

“Just tell him, Perry, he won’t be that pissed.” He was thankful for Charlie in that moment, and agreed with him; Neil was a consenting adult, and free to do most things without his boyfriend’s permission, though a little warning was always appreciated. But Neil shook his head, a small terrified expression twisting his features, as he nibbled his lip. He curled up small, and hugged his chest, grimacing all the while.

“He’ll be cross. He’ll think it’s dumb; he’s already said he hates them. He’ll hate me.” His voice was little more than a mumble at this point, as he threaded his fingers through a loose thread trailing from his jumper. He looked sick, and shabby, and despite his secrecy, Todd wanted to wrap him up in blankets and rock him until he felt better. He and Charlie shared a glance, and he knew the feeling was mutual. Sometimes living with Neil was a challenge, but it was one they both thrust themselves into with enthusiasm. Reaching forward, he took one of Neil’s hands in his own, and gave it a squeeze.

“I could never hate you.” Neil still wouldn’t look up from the floor, so Todd cupped a hand around his cheek, and gently tilted his face so they were gazing into each other’s eyes. “Listen to me. I could, and will never hate you. You could do any number of stupid things, and I would never hate you. Now please, tell me what happened.”

“We… we got tattoos.”

“Oh.” Well, that was tamer than he was expecting. Todd wasn’t quite sure what he’d been expecting to hear – judging by Neil’s sombre reaction, he’d assumed it was something inherently awful, like adultery or arson – but now everything made sense. That is, apart from the two looks of heart-breaking concern that littered Neil and Charlie’s faces. “Well that’s not so bad.” The worry didn’t lighten, so he paused, and clarified. “That’s fine. More than fine. You’re allowed to get tattoos.”

“But you said you hated them!” Neil whined, his negative emotions shifting from shame to indignance. “You said they were… something about them being forbidden because of a… something, I don’t know, I wasn’t really listening…”

“What?” Todd’s nose wrinkled in confusion, as he finally frowned at his boyfriend in confusion. Charlie shrugged, and went back to prodding his chest and making little hissing noises as he did so. Grumpily, Neil smacked his hand away, which caused Charlie to pout.

“There was a book thingy.” Neil furrowed his brow and looked somewhat constipated, as he tried to filter through what must now be muddled and messy thoughts. “Something about your family being against tattoos. No… no marking the skin-“

“Oh!” Todd suddenly understood, and had to push down a little laugh, as he squeezed Neil’s hand again. “Oh, Neil babe, I didn’t mean – you can get as many tattoos as you like, babe, but I’m not supposed to have any. It’s a Jew thing.”

“You’re a Jew?” Charlie spluttered, and it was Todd’s turn to wince at the sharpness in his voice. He hadn’t pictured Charlie as anti-Semetic, but he did come from a wealthy elitist background and – “I thought Meeks was a Jew.”

“He is.” Concern turned to confusion, and Todd realised that Charlie wasn’t perhaps having the most logical thought patterns right now, considering how much he reeked of tequila. “We both are. You can have more than one Jew, Charlie.”

“Duuuuudeee.” Charlie drawled, allowing himself to flop across the back of the couch. He was blinking slower now, and looked to be ready to fall asleep, but he still had energy left for one last Charlie-ism. “Does that mean your dic-“

“I’m not answering that.” Todd shut him down, and turned instead to Neil, who looked completely mystified.

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course I’m not. You can do whatever you want with your body. I would have preferred it if you asked me, but I’m not your mum.” He regretted mentioning Neil’s parents, as his boyfriend winced again, not out of physical pain this time. “Neil, baby, it’s fine. You’re an adult, you can do whatever you want. Loads of people have tattoos. And if it makes you happy, that’s more than alright by me.”

“It does make me happy.” Neil confessed, brightening up. It suited him, his smile like the sun appearing from behind a dark cloud. “You want to see? It’s still a bit bloody and icky but-“ He went to yank up his shirt, and Todd got a flash of bandages before having to squeeze his eyes shut, feeling his stomach turn a little bit in nausea.

“Maybe in the morning, babe. When it’s less… y’know…” His fear of blood was common to the poets, but he knew that fact was lodged somewhere beyond the reach of Drunk Neil. Yet he hid the bandages again quickly, and instead snuggled up next to his lover, grinning dopily.

“I love you. Like really really.”

“I love you too, you idiot.” He pressed a kiss against the thatch of Neil’s thick dark hair, the only bit of him that didn’t stink of alcohol, and smiled as he felt strong arms wrap around his waist.

“Really really?”

“Really really. Now let’s get you both to bed before you throw up on my carpet.”

* * *

The next morning, Neil and Charlie were understandably a little bit worse for wear.

Todd, barely a morning person without the intervention of two drunk idiots into his early routine, was pulled from the sweet serenade of sleep by the sound of retching and an empty spot on the bed next to him. Neil, judging by the jaunty thrust of the open curtains and the cheerful silence of the alarm clock, had obviously tried to start his day with the usual vim and vigour, yet the oppressive hold of his hangover had clearly hit him hard. Charlie, still sprawled across the couch where they had left him the previous evening, hadn’t stirred yet, but he knew the effect would be similar. With a slight sigh, Todd dragged himself from the warm embrace of his covers and shuffled over to the coffee pot, and by the time he had it brewing, he could hear the tell-tale trickle of the running shower. He heard Charlie groan and sit up, couch cushions squeaking.

“Everything hurts.” He wailed, flopping back flamboyantly and hissing loudly in pain. He didn’t get as sick as Neil did from alcohol, but was more liable to headaches, which was ironic, considering how often Neil suffered from migraines when sober. Todd rolled his eyes fondly and nudged a cup of sweet, dark coffee into Charlie’s hands, along with a healthy helping of aspirin.

“Morning, Nuwanda.” He smiled with a dry fondness and watched Charlie knock back the painkillers and chug the coffee, burning his tongue like a clumsy child in the process. Having Charlie around was like having a second boyfriend, and judging by the grateful grin crossing Charlie’s face, Todd knew he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Todd, you are, as always, a saint, and watchman to my heart.” Even hungover, Charlie was still disgustingly charming, and Todd wasn’t afraid to admit that he blushed a little at the attention. “Where’s Neil?”

“Bathroom.” Todd jerked a casual thumb towards the door, where the showering had stopped and there were occasionally little noises of discontent as Neil dressed himself. “I think he’s going to be a while.”

“I think you’re right.” Charlie nodded, and sipped his coffee, more carefully this time. “He was really wasted last night. I think getting the tattoo freaked him out a bit, and I needed to calm him down before we got home. He was shaking like a leaf in the parlour. And the bar. And the cab, now that I think of it.”

“What on Earth made you get tattoos?” Todd asked, eyeing Charlie over the rim of his mug. The other male was slipping off his shirt, and Todd initially recoiled at the bright red blotch in the centre of Charlie’s chest. On closer viewing however, it seemed too bright to be blood and instead, Todd could make out a signature scarlet thunderbolt. Of course.

“You know how Neil’s been feeling vulnerable about the whole acting thing.” This was true; for the first time in a few years now, Neil hadn’t been able to secure a part in any upcoming Christmas productions, but in truth, he had been incredibly busy trying to set up his own theatre company for the new year, and hadn’t had time to adequately prepare for his auditions. Todd hadn’t thought he’d been overly upset about it, but he’d been wrong before. “Well, I think he just wanted to do something to make himself feel better, cheer himself up, y’know? I told him it was dumb, but best friends don’t let each other do dumb things alone so-“ He traced his fingers across the bolt and grinned. “What do you think?”

“Very Ziggy.” This seemed to please Charlie as he smiled wider and began to hum some bizarre Bowie tune. It was nice, it being just the two of them in the relative peace of the morning, but it got even more pleasant when Neil entered, looking flushed from his shower and still slightly sleepy. Unlike Charlie, he was fully dressed, loose black t-shirt hiding his new ink from view. Judging by his sweatpants and unbrushed hair, it was unlikely they were going anywhere today. Good – it wasn’t like they had anything planned.

“Morning Tats McGee.” Charlie hollered at him, and Neil in turn responded with a scowl and the throwing of a nearby cushion. It arched gracefully over Charlie and landed on a nearby coffee table, luckily not disturbing any more of their organised chaos. “Hey, that was funny!”

“Not in the slightest.” Neil turned away from Nuwanda and smiled at his boyfriend. “Sorry about him; strays always follow me home.”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Charlie huffed, which made them both giggle. Todd handed Neil a cup of coffee laced with milk and sugar and smiled as he sipped. That’s what love was for him, the silent thank you upon receiving the first warm beverage of the day. Still, he couldn’t resist slinking a hand across Neil’s belly and playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Aren’t you going to show me? Nuwanda’s already given me a glimpse of his; it’s only right you should share too.”

“Oooh, you want me to get my kit off with an audience?” Neil’s eyes sparkled in the morning sun and there was a sharp edge to his smile that made Todd’s knees weaken a little. “Who are you and what have you done with Todd Anderson?”

“Go on you tease.” Charlie’s face popped up from behind the curtain, looking more than a friendly amount of eager. “I didn’t get a good look last night before they covered it up.”

“Well if you insist.” Neil winked at them both, before tugging up his t-shirt.

For a moment, Todd didn’t see anything; Neil’s new marking was nowhere near as vivid as Nuwanda’s. Yet with some squinting, he could make out a short cursive phrase, curving just below the jut of his ribs. He leaned closer and read the words aloud.

“ **_‘The powerful play goes on;’_**.” Neil watched, waiting for approval, and Todd gave it to him in the form of a small kiss on his stomach, before straightening up. “It’s lovely. But why the semi-colon?”  

“It’s meant to indicate a pause, but not a stop.” Neil confessed shyly, allowing his shirt to fall back down, obscuring the words from view. But Todd felt a new confidence grow in him, knowing that no matter what, Neil carried the words of the Dead Poets with him, words of confidence and clarity. “It’ll help me carry on, and not… y’know…”

“I know.” Todd confirmed, and pressed a kiss this time to his forehead. “I love it. It’s perfect.”

“It’s way cooler than mine.” Charlie grouched good-naturedly from the sofa, and again they all laughed.

Eventually, Neil settled on the couch and both he and Charlie drifted off into a doze, mugs of coffee sitting abandoned on the side table as they dreamed. Watching them from the kitchen, Todd couldn’t help but smile fondly one last time, as he grabbed his laptop and booted up his documentary.

He didn’t need a tattoo to prove his eternal love for his two ridiculous boys. He had all he needed right here.

**Author's Note:**

> This has just been a little thing that's been bouncing around my mind and I had to get it written before I could do anything productive today. Also yay I haven't written for DPS for a while! 
> 
> Comments and criticisms always welcome! 
> 
> Drink water, take your meds, eat some food and have an awesome day/night! 
> 
> x


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